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The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Today we continue our series based on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians The theme is “Making a New World”.
Today we are talking about Watch Your Walk.
Text
Ephesians 5:15 NKJV
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Scripture Reading
Ephesians 5:15-20 NKJV
Walk in Wisdom
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Prayer
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
When a lot of people travel to different countries they employ a tour guide.
One thing that is repeated by all tour guides is “Watch your step!”
You will hear this all the time when you travel, when you get off buses, enter buildings, everywhere.
Paul was telling the Ephesians, “Watch your step as a believer!”
Ephesians 5:15, See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Christians must be extremely careful about how they live in an unbelieving world.
The word circumspectly implies looking all around, paying attention to all circumstances, as you might do when passing through a dangerous place.
Ephesians 5:15 could be translated as, “pay careful attention to the way you live.”
- Make use of all opportunities.
Seize every opportunity to do good.
Ephesians 1:16 says, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
The Greek word for redeeming is a market term that means to buy out, or to purchase completely.
Time is the translation of a greek word that came to mean something like opportunity.
The expression “redeeming the time” means to make good use of every opportunity.
Opportunities redeem society.
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Because the world is morally corrupt, we must seize every opportunity redeem our evil society.
No time should be lost.
2. Seek to understand God’s will.
The unwise person does not understand God’s will.
Look at verse 17, Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The word unwise refers to being senseless.
It means to be without reason or moral intelligence.
Such a person does not think a matter through to its logical conclusion.
The unwise ones were pagans who were unable to see through the immoral life to its end product.
The wise person seeks to discern God’s will.
Verse 18, And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
God seeks the best for all His creation.
Thus the wise person wants to know His will.
3. Submit to the Holy Spirit’s control.
The Holy Spirit can control the believer’s life.
Look at verse 18 again, And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
In contrast to the pagan worldly conduct produced by drunkenness, Paul presents the kind of conduct produced by the Holy Spirit.
When the sails of a boat get filled with wind, the wind can control the boat.
Being filled with the Spirit describes a believer who submits to the control of the Holy Spirit and so becomes empowered to do God’s perfect will.
The Holy Spirit produces character in the believer’s life.
The Spirit produces joy, Ephesians 5:19 says, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
The Holy Spirit produces a genuine joy that comes from the heart.
This joy is expressed outwardly in a number of ways.
The spirit produces gratitude.
Ephesians 5:20, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Spirit produces mutual submission.
Ephesians 5:21, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
This is an attitude that is opposed to rudeness.
It is the opposite of a stubborn insistence on one’s rights.
Paul expressed the same idea in Romans 12:10, Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Conclusion.
Go back to our text, Ephesians 5:15 NKJV,
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Believers do need to be careful about how they live.
The admonition, “Watch your step!” Should be remembered constantly.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
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